Hidden Loyalties and Alliances
by refugeofthemind
Summary: A rewrite of the 7th season, What happens when more than just Leviathons have escaped purgatory? When Castiel swims out of the lake, he finds himself lonely, without the aid of his hunters. Faced with the return of his angelic brothers, Castiel, along with others around him begin to wonder where his loyalties really lie. First ever fanfiction, review and enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

There was darkness all around him. Castiel felt light, weightless. Silence surrounded him except for the soft buzz in his ears. The angel was content. _So this was death, Castiel_ never thought how peaceful it could be. Gone was the aching emptiness he felt when he thought about his brothers and sisters, his home, his friends. He could now escape from those piercing green eyes that had looked down at him with such anger, those earnest brown eyes that were filled with betrayal and pain. The guilt, loneliness and hurt, were all slowly drifting away from him and Castiel let the darkness envelope him.

Then, the hum in his ears increased to a painful pressure. His arms and legs felt so heavy. His chest, _oh his lungs, _felt like they were on fire. Castiel began shaking moving his limbs but there was something pressing onto him, from all sides.

Suddenly, Castiel felt himself being pulled up. His head burst out from the surface of the water and air rushed in as he frantically gasped. Using the little energy he had, Castiel pulled himself to the shore. Sitting at the edge with his legs still inn the water, his chest heaved as Castiel tried to gather his thoughts. He was alive and once again, the Angel of Thursday had managed to escape death. The cold was slowly getting to him as he sat there, shivering in his wet pants and white dress shirt. His blue rumpled tie had still managed to cling on to his neck but his trench coat was nowhere to be seen.

Dean stared down, his fists clenching around the tattered coat. _Cas, you child! How could you be so stupid? _It was bad enough that Castiel had decided to work with Crowley, _the king of hell for Christ's Sake, _and now he had released those damn Leviathons on earth, just when Dean thought that everything was alright too! But really, Dean had lost all compassion he felt for Castiel when the bastard refused to fix the wall back up in Sam's head. Holding the fabric in his arms only made the disgust he felt grow. He quickly stuffed the last reminder of the angel into the far corner of the trunk and climbed into the Impala. Sam was sitting in the passenger seat, brooding and unusually quiet.

"You okay?" Dean asked slightly worried.

"Yeah, just drive," replied Sam, without much emotion.

Dean knew that Sam was lying, heck, even Sam didn't bother to reply with much conviction. How could he be okay? How could any of them be alright? Both brothers were now broken beyond repair and yet, now was definitely not the time to talk about their feelings, or nurse their wound, they had a world to save. The Impala sped off towards Booby's place.

It was getting dark and Castiel knew he needed to get help soon. It was evident that even though Castiel was now very much alive, he did not escape unharmed. There were huge gaping wounds all over his body, spotting his clothes red with blood. Castiel's breath grew shallower and the pain was everywhere, overwhelming him. Castiel couldn't heal himself like he could in the past, his grace was now so weak. It had dimmed from a blazing hot fire to a small glimmer of light, barely there. He couldn't sit there any longer, the cuts needed patching up. But where was he to go? Who would take him in a fallen angel? _Maybe… _With a small ball of hope shining faintly beside his grace, Castiel trudged slowly towards Bobby's place.

Sam sighed in frustration, rubbing his bleary eyes with his palms. The house was filled with the snores of two men. Bobby had fallen asleep researching at the table which was now strewn with papers about the different lore of Leviathons. They were however, nowhere near knowing how to destroy those bastards anymore than they had when Bobby and him had started in the afternoon. Dean, on the other hand, had gone straight to the bar and only had returned an hour ago, smelling so strongly of liquor and barely steady on his feet. He collapsed immediately upon reaching the couch and hadn't stirred since. Even though neither man looked comfortable, Sam couldn't help but feel slightly jealous of them. While it was true that Sam had drifted off for some time, he was rudely awakened by the hallucination of Lucifer screaming loudly in his ear. Though the devil was gone for now, Sam still felt uneasy.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Sam frowned, _who could that be? _Neither Bobby nor the brothers had many friends, especially not the kind that would decide to visit them so late at night. Sam made his way to the front room, frowning as he did so. When he did open the door, his lips wide as shock registered on his face.

"C-castiel?"

Note: So I know this is like a really short chapter but no worries, the next will be up in a few days time! I just got this idea suddenly and decided to quickly jot it down before I forgot. Please review, i dont mind criticisms! :) This is my first ever fanfiction so I hope its good!  
And yes, there will be some Destiel, but after the angst.

Reading fanfiction is currently helping me while waiting for the new season to air! Recommend some if you know any!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's the second chapter to this story. Just a few warnings, this might progress to a destiel fic, I'm not sure but I ship them so bad... I might also be aupdating less this few weeks cuz I have tons of tests to study for and to catch up with so much of my overdue homework. I'm really dead. XP**

**Disclaimer: Not mine(sadly)**

Castiel was standing on the worn out steps, fear clawing out his chest as he bit his lips nervously, a human habit he had picked up just recently. His face was pale from the cold, anxiety and pain. The agony was close to unbearable and he could hardly stop the wounds from bleeding still. There was a steady drip of red onto the steps already and his clothes were soaked with blood. Before he could change his mind, thinking that this was a bad idea, Castiel quickly knocked on the door.

Sam was shocked at first, he really didn't think that Castiel would survive that incident, what with all the leviathans sucking him dry and then exploding out of him. Surprise turned to anger as his face darkened almost immediately.

"You!" Sam spat out, "What the hell are you here for?"

A look of hurt flashed across Castiel but Sam was just too angry to take notice. Instead, without giving Castiel a chance to talk, Sam carried on.

"How dare you come back here?" Sam growled venom and fury dripping from those words.

"S-Sam..." Castiel barely managed to croak out.

It was then that Sam noticed how heavily Castiel was leaning forward, how shallow his breaths were, how soaked in red his clothes were. Castiel was so pale, more than usual and his face was glistening in sweat. He looked wrecked. Sam was slightly taken aback; he had never seen the angel so weak, even when he was cast out from the garrison more than a year ago.

He almost felt sorry for him, almost. But at that moment Sam had turned back to his brother lying on the couch, lines of worry still etched on his face as he slept. Dean had gone through so much, had really believed in Castiel, and now he was broken, his spirits crushed. They were so close to going back to the way that things were before, when there were just simple hunts. And now, they were going through the whole ordeal again, just because the stupid angel hadn't listened to them.

"I..Dean" Castiel was struggling with the rites as he rasped out each breath.

Hearing the traitor utter his brother's name was just too much for Sam and the rage inside him exploded.

"You sure as hell have got some nerve talking about my brother, especially after what you did to him! He's broken now! His body still maybe breathing but he's lost the spirit to fight! You know, I would have forgiven you for what you did to me but Dean had stuck by you through the end, even when your own brothers left you! He was your charge but you killed him! You killed my brother!"

Castiel cringed with each word, as if they were punches being thrown at him.

"And now," Sam carried on, face red and shaking with anger "that you need help, you've come to us. You didn't give a damn about us when we tried to warn you but as soon as you need something, you're here."

Castiel lifted his head with much difficulty and looked at Sam with guilt and regret brimming in his eyes. He choked out the words as blood splurged out from his mouth, "I... apologize…For-"

"Shut Up!"Sam hissed. He lunged forward, grasping the collar of Castiel's shirt. He shook the man not too gently, his face inches away from the other's.

"Shut the hell up!" Sam yelled as Castiel closed his eyes and flinched. Unable to control his anger any longer, Sam pushed roughly, throwing Castiel down the few steps of stairs. Castiel landed on his side with a thud. New pain jolted throughout his body and he let out a moan escape from his lips. He lifted his head up, blood stinging his eyes, mixing with the tears that were running freely down his cheeks.

Sam was towering above him, his chest heaving in anger. His expression oozed out rage and there was just pure hatred flashing in those brown eyes.

"You don't deserve our forgiveness. Not after what you did to me, to Dean and to the world. You were our friend once so I'll let you go for now. Never come back because I swear, I see you again, _I will kill you!_" Sam stomped off, slamming the door behind him without a second glance.

Castiel heaved himself up with much difficult. It had begun to rain, dark clouds gathered as lightning flashed across the sky. Taking one final glimpse of the house he had called home after his exile from heaven, Castiel walked off with a heavy heart.

After Castiel's visit, Sam was angrier than ever and he could practically feel the blood boiling under his skin. But even now, he had to admit that he pitied the angel a bit as he watched him through the window. It was raining really heavily outside and Castiel was soaked to the skin. He looked pathetic walking towards the streets, shoulders slumped and head hung low. _Well, he deserves it!_ A voice in his head nagged. With a sigh, Sam drew the curtains.

"Dude, how much coffee did you drink? You're wide awake!"

Sam spun around and saw Dean standing behind him. His hair was messy and dark circles were evident around his tired eyes.

"Uhh, a lot actually but I couldn't sleep anyway, had a lot of research left."

"Well wouldn't want to keep you away from your special time with the computer, Geek boy," Dean said roughly, voice laden with sleep as he shuffled toward the kitchen. "By the way," Dean called behind his shoulder, "Why were you shouting so late at night?"

Sam froze, and his brain whirred, thinking quickly. "Umm, pent up anger… caffeine…frustration..." Sam trailed off, lying lamely.

"Make sure to keep your female hormones in check, some of us like to sleep, you know?" Dean muttered from the kitchen.

Sam let out a breath. Dean didn't have to know that Castiel had visited them. It was better if no one knew about his survival. They had enough on their plates and didn't need to worry about anything else. Sam peeked through the curtains one last time. The yard was empty and the angel was gone.

A shiver ran down Castiel's back. He was drenched and so cold, teeth chattering as he trudged through the empty streets. The familiar weight of his trench coat was gone and he felt empty. He was miserable and he knew he deserved this. He deserved to be alone; after all, he brought this all on himself. The Winchesters did warn him but he let his pride get in the way of his better judgment. He thought that he was doing the right thing, being God, when in reality; he had put all the humans in danger. Really, how much different was he from Lucifer?

Now, he had nothing left. He was lonely in a world he didn't understand. Gone were his brothers and sisters, his two closest friends, Bobby and Sam, and the only person who meant as much or even more to him than God. He hadn't met the emerald eyed hunter since the ritual but he knew better than to go back. He remembered the distrust in those bright green eyes, how much it had hurt when Dean had ordered Death to kill him. He was sure that he would not to want to have someone as tainted as him back in his life, not even to listen to an apology. No, it would be better if Castiel stayed away from the Winchesters, it was the least he could do for them.

The rain was letting down a bit but it didn't matter to Castiel, he had nowhere to go anyway. From his past experience, he knew he needed money, or some sort of card if he wanted anything and right now he had neither. Resigned, Castiel sat down on the curb of the road, head hung low.

He didn't know how long he sat there in the rain, but he suddenly felt a tingle in his chest, where his grace glimmered. Surprised, Castiel looked up and what he saw made his heart stop.

"Brothers, how? I don't understand…" he stammered, blue eyes wider than usual.

"Hello Castiel, it's nice that we meet again," Zachariah sneered and Castiel suddenly found himself surrounded by the family he had thought dead.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Alright, here's a quick update. After this chapter, it will mostly be Castiel's POV cuz i wanna concentrate on him and his brothers. This chapter is really short but i had to update it. A thank you to one of my reviewers for helping me realize that Castiel sounded evil, so this chapter is to balance it out i guess..**

**A thank you to my sister too, for helping me out in this chapter. So if you see any mistakes, you can blame her :P Remember, REVIEW and ENJOY:)**

Castiel's mind reeled as surprise registered on his face. His brothers were back! Feelings of joy quickly turned to guilt as his gaze fell upon his family, ones that he had killed or indirectly caused their demise. The insides of his stomach churned as he remembered their graces diminishing before the light went out their eyes. The guilt grew as their faces came in his line of vision, Michael, Raphael, Uriel, Zachariah, Gabriel, Balthazar... No!

Castiel stumbled back, fear constricting his chest as eyes fell upon the fallen angel. It couldn't be… Not after all everything …

"Oh Cassie, don't worry. Mike's got Lucy on a tight leash, he won't bite," Gabriel stepped forward, a grin taking over his face. Beside him stood Balthazar, with an equally warm smile.

Maybe it was the blood loss from his injuries, the overwhelmingly sudden appearance of his brothers or finding out about the return of Lucifer, but Castiel's head felt lighter. Black spots appeared in his vision and he felt the whole world tilt as he collapsed.

"Well, that wasn't a welcome I expected," Gabriel frowned as the others stared at Castiel, unsure of what to do with the unconscious angel.

…

Dean was a mess. He woke up in the morning with a massive headache; blood pounding in his ears; pain shooting through his brain. He could not recall the previous night too clearly, with only bits of memories floating in his head.

A girl, who had been eying him ever since he had entered the bar, approached him with a suggestive smile. She had a body that would have had Dean's full attention if he hadn't been so damn drunk.

"Hey, handsome," she purred, fingers twirling around a strand of black hair. " You look lonely and troubled, wanna tell me your problems? I'm sure I can help you forget them," she said, placing her well manicured hands on top of Dean's. Dean just kept staring at his drink, head bowed down, uninterested.

"I'm Chastity," she continued, fingers trailing lightly over his arms lightly.

_Chastity._

Memories of the time spent with Castiel came back to him in full force, causing him to double over in pain. It had been so long ago, yet even through his drunken stupor, he still remembered clearly, the day he had brought Castiel to the brothel. Castiel had been so nervous, so out of place as he looked around guiltily, hands rubbing the back of his neck. His innocence had made Dean snicker, he had never met anyone who was so awkward and clueless. And when Chastity, the stripper, had chased both men out the bar, screaming and threatening to call the police, Dean couldn't help but burst out laughing. He hadn't laughed that hard for a long time, not with the impending apocalypse and his fall out with Sam.

Dean jerked away from the woman's touch, as if he was burnt. He stumbled out of the stool, swaying as he ran out of the bar. He couldn't stay, not when it reminded him too much of the dead angel.

He spent most of the night wandering the streets, not wanting to go back to Bobby's house, not wanting to face the burden of having to save the world again.

When it finally became late, and Dean was sure that Sam would have had an aneurism worrying about him, he returned, staggering over his own two feet as he walked in. Without saying a word, Dean went towards the couch and flopped onto it. He soon fell asleep, but not without uttering a painful cry, sounding suspiciously like the name of a certain blue-eyed dead angel...

The pounding of Dean's head was back in full force as Sam thumped him on the back, "Quit day dreaming, sleeping beauty, Bobby and I are doing all the work!"

Dean looked up. True enough, both men had their noses buried in age old books, dust clouds forming around as they flipped through each page. Sam looked especially haggard, with dark circles forming around his droopy eyes. He could tell that his brother was hiding something, the way he kept fidgeting around when asked about the previous night, but Dean didn't press any further. They all had their own secrets and damn him if they were going to sit around talking about their feelings. No, they had much more important things to do, and Dean had always been allergic to those caring and sharing moments that his brother always seemed to be so fond of. If it was important, Sam would have told him, but now, they were busy looking for a lead on the Leviathans.

….

Castiel was screaming. His breaths were short, heart pounding and lungs wheezing. Sweat dripped down his forehead, into his eyes, stinging as his vision blurred. His legs had begun to ache to the point that it had become numb. Yet, he continued running, the danger behind him too grave to let catch up.

His inexperience of being human soon caused him to trip over his own feet, sending him sprawling against the ground. Using the little strength he had, Castiel picked himself up. When he managed to get back on his feet, he suddenly found himself face to face with whom he had been running from, Dean. Except, it couldn't have been Dean, not with eyes filled with such cruelty and madness. This Dean was holding an Angel blade, approaching him menacingly. Before his eyes, Dean's face changed to that of his brothers and sisters; Rachel, Anna, Balthazar, Michael,Raphael, Uriel, Gabriel, Zachariah and finally stopped at Lucifer's.

"You don't deserve to be brought back!" the thing in front of him taunted, in the different voices of his brothers, sisters and Dean's.

Castiel closed his eyes and covered his ears with the palms of his hands,

"Please, stop!" Castiel screamed.

Suddenly, all was quiet. Castiel looked around slowly and there stood, Balthazar. The real Balthazar, not the monster that had been there a while ago, but his friend, with the familiar smirk and twinkle in his eyes.

"Is this a dream?" Castiel enquired.

"Oh yes, you fainted like the girl you are after you saw us. Must say, you hurt Gabriel's feelings when you just blacked out, he expected screaming, hugging and some tears..."

Castiel simply looked back at his brother and Balthazar sighed.

" It was a joke Cassie, learn to lighten up would you!" Balthazar said exasperatedly, placing his hand on his shoulder. Castiel stared at the comforting hand, eyebrows furrowed.

"Why are you being do nice to me? After what I did... "

"Oh Castiel," Balthazar placed both hands on his shoulders squeezing gently. "Everyone makes mistakes, even us. It's whether you regret it, feel guilty about it and do something to rectify it that differs good from evil. You are not evil, Castiel. You may have made a few questionable decisions but your intentions were to help the human kind."

"I became power-hungry, greedy. I even tried to be God!" Castiel exclaimed, shaking the comforting hands off his shoulders.

"No , Castie- " Balthazar began but was cut off by the other who was glaring at him, self-hatred evident in his blue eyes.

"Stop, brother. I have sinned. Don't deny it. Stop acting as though nothing has transpired, as though I did not kill you! I deserve to be punished, so punish me now!" he yelled, fists clenching tightly.

"Wow, Cassie! I didn't know you were so kinky!"

Both angels spun around to face the newcomer, Gabriel, who winked at Castiel and waggled his eyebrows towards him.

Castiel tilted his head to the side, eyes squinting and lips frowning. "I do not understand that-"

"No time for that now," Gabriel interrupted, waving his hands dismissively. "Our brothers are getting impatient."

With a snap of his fingers, everything went dark.

….

Castiel's eyelids fluttered. Light poured in and his vision swam. He was in some sort of motel room and he could make out the faces of his brothers crowded around his bed, with Michael's only inches away from his. He was staring curiously at him, with a tinge of worry lining his face.

Castiel blinked a few more times and his vision cleared.

"Brothers! He has awakened!" Michael yelled excitedly, squishing his face closer to Castiel's.

The others shifted around, turning to look at him.

"Dude, I get that you're excited but you don't have to kiss him!" Gabriel laughed as he reached out and pulled Michael away.

Castiel slowly shifted his body and sat up. His eyes immediately fell on Lucifer and he shrank further back into the bed. Lucifer glared back defiantly, eyebrows raised.

"Why is he here?" Castiel croaked, keeping an eye on Lucifer as he addressed his brothers.

"I don't get it either, we should just get rid of the abomination," Zachariah said, voice dripping with scorn.

"He is still our brother and he has done nothing wrong so far!" Uriel interjected.

"Nothing wrong?" Zachariah said incredulously, "He has gone against the will of our father, raged a war among our brothers! And you still say he has done nothing wrong so far?!"

"Of course you would consider him as 'still our brother'," Rahphael looked at Uriel, eyes full of disdain.

"Oh, come on! Can't we ever have a family reunion without us trying to rip each other's throat out?" Gabriel crossed his arms and he rolled his eyes with Balthazar nodding in agreement.

"Enough!" Michael yelled over the voices of his brothers. The room was silenced instantly. He turned to Castiel, a comforting hand placed on top of his.

"Are you feeling well?" he asked, concerned.

Castiel nodded and he suddenly noticed that his shoulders as well as his chest, had been badly bandaged. Some of his cuts were also patched up, none too well.

"We did not know how to heal you, but we tried our best," Michael apologized, looking slightly sheepish.

"Enough chatting, we are wasting our time," Raphael said, impatient.

"What happened? How are all of you still alive? How are you and Lucifer out of the cage?" Castiel finally found his voice.

"Don't worry brother, I will tell you everything," Michael soothed.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: HEYLLO! I'm sorry for taking so long! This chapter was really exhausting to write and I'm still not really satisfied with it.. OH Well ;(**

** This might be a little boring cuz its mostly explanation on Michael's part. I'll try to excite things up next chapter. Oh, and spacial thanks to:  
**

** Eilinel09**

** mscottsayshi**

** Slinky-Sinclair**

** Wolfa Moon  
**

** For favouriting and:**

** havanag**

** Eilinel09**

** Kayilisiase**

** keacdragon**

** mscottsayshi**

** netherlady**

** Slinky-Sinclair**

** Wolfa Moon**

**For following! A GREAT BIG THANKS also goes to my sister for helping me get my thoughts together and nagging me to complete this.  
**

** Review and enjoy guys!**

Castiel was propped up in a sitting position with pillows supporting his back. Like this, he didn't have to put much pressure on his shoulders, which were aching painfully. It was Balthazar who had helped him up, fluffing the pillows with Michael hovering around his bed like a mother hen. Gabriel was sitting beside him with a lollipop, an amused smile ghosting his face. The rest of his brothers were standing on the other side of the room, an icy cold look illuminating their faces as they stared at him.

The whole situation looked rather odd to Castiel, a stark contrast to the gatherings they had in heaven. Whenever the angels met at a large scale, everyone always had their best armor on, metals glistening in heaven's light. Majestic wings, of different shades would sprout from their backs, feathers arranged meticulously. Most impressive of it all would be their graces. They would burn brightly in all the angels, setting the sky ablaze with fire.

However, it saddened Castiel to see what he and his brothers had been reduced to now. Wings nowhere to be seen, clothes rumpled, faces drawn with the weariness of a battle; they merely looked like ordinary human beings, not at all the powerful angels that everyone awed and feared.

On the other hand, Castiel was just relieved to see that his brothers were alive, though he still had yet to find out why. After getting comfortable on the bed, he stared up expectantly at his brothers, waiting for an explanation.

"Gee, let's see, where do we start..." Gabriel pondered, sucking on his lollipop in earnest.

"You should probably start on how it is that all of you are still alive," Castiel pointed out.

"Really Castiel, that is a simple question with an answer I thought you would have figured out," Raphael sneered and Zachariah smirked behind him.

Castiel tilted his head in confusion.

Raphael sighed. "Well, where do you suppose angels go after death?"

"Heaven?"

At this, Uriel gave a sarcastic bark of laughter. "How naïve you are," he said, shaking his head sadly.

"No," Raphael replied. "In the time of dying, Angels are brought to purgatory, trapped in there for eternity."

Castiel gave a gasp. He had no idea that they suffered the same fate as any other supernatural creature.

"However, you see, unknowingly, you had also taken us in your possession when you opened the gateway to Purgatory and swallowed all the souls. We were trapped inside you until you decided to return the souls back." Raphael stopped as Michael took over.

"However, they did not follow the souls back to Purgatory but clung on, until the last moment, as they escaped your vessel along with the Leviathans. It took almost all their strength to remain behind and fight off the ritual but they succeeded." Michael sounded proud of their accomplishment.

"Of what joy does that victory bring when that act has diminished most of our Graces? Without the full capacity of our Grace, we are nothing more than the mud monkeys that roam this planet." Uriel spat, voice bitter and angry. For the first time, Zachariah and Raphael could be seen nodding their heads in agreement, lips set grimly.

Castiel widened his eyes in surprise. His brothers were without their grace? He looked down at the bandages that covered half his body. Now he understood why his brothers had not instantly been able heal him. It was not that they wanted him to suffer; no, they just lost their ability to do so. His heart ached for them, he knew exactly how terrible and empty it felt like roaming around without the full capacity of their grace, how cold it was without the warmth of it to keep them feeling safe.

"I am sorry, brothers," he said. He then turned to Michael and addressed him, with a tilt of a head towards Lucifer. "That still does not explain how you and _he_are here. You were trapped in hell, not purgatory."

Michael nodded. "Patience, Castiel. I am getting there. You see, almost everything is connected. If I'm not wrong, no one has ever, in the thousands of years of existence been able to remove a soul from hell. It was almost miraculous that you had managed to retrieve the Righteous One from perdition and even then, many had lost their lives in the process, do you not remember?"

Of course Castiel remembered, the day he had set his eyes on his charge. He was disgusted with all the souls he had encountered in hell and he could not comprehend why he was given the task to help one of them escape. He did not understand why anyone of those evils deserved to be saved, given a second chance when that had made such a mockery of the life that the Almighty was generous enough to give them. But that was when he met Dean. Soul shining so brightly that it was difficult not to miss, he stood among the other tainted humans. When Castiel had gotten to him, he found him torturing a soul on the rack. Although there was a sadistic grin plastered across Dean's face, Castiel could hear him mutter a name, Sam, over and over again, like a mantra; a prayer. He held on the last of his innocent, untainted and pure soul, not letting it go, even after forty years of torture. That was what had amazed Castiel, how strong, how righteous Dean was, how he clung on to his humanity, refusing to become one of those soulless demons. Castiel made a promise then and there that he would never let anything touch the soul of someone so pure; he would not let any harm come to Dean, his charge. Castiel fought strongly, never letting a single demon lay a finger on Dean. He remembered seeing his sisters and brothers die as they, too, fought for the same cause. He was also willing to do the same for the safety of the Righteous One. Of course Castiel remembered the day he met his charge, his life had been changed since then.

Castiel gave a nod and Michael continued.

"When that demon, Crowley-" Upon the mention of the king of hell, the angels, apart from Lucifer crinkled their nose in disgust, "removed so many souls from the pits of hell at such a large scale, he caused a shift."

"A shift?"

"You see, our Father created hell for the purpose of keeping Lucifer away. However, with each soul that Lucifer had managed to tempt, the cage grew stronger. You could say that our Father had an odd sense of humor. But when the souls were removed, the hold on the cage grew weak, and that is when our brothers came searching for me. They felt the disturbance as soon as they left your vessel."

"But, why is he here?"

Michael paused and hesitated before speaking up.

"I made a deal with him."

Castiel's eyes widened and he gasped loudly. A deal? The last time Castiel had made a deal with a demon, he put the whole human race in grave peril. Making a deal with the Satan himself was the same as inviting the end of the whole world. What was his brother thinking?

Michael raised his arms. "Calm down, brother. I know what you are thinking right now. Our brothers have also voiced out their objections many times. You have to understand, I spent a long time in the depths of hell with Lucifer. I have seen him suffer, so have I, and has our Father not taught us that the greatest gift we can grant a sinner is forgiveness?"

At that, Raphael gave an audible growl. "I still think it an unwise decision. He did not simply commit a sin, he went against our Father; he turned his back on Him. Are we supposed to trust that he will keep to this deal of yours?"

For the first time, Lucifer spoke up. "You have my word; I will keep to the deal."

All of a sudden, Raphael pounced on Lucifer, hands curling around his neck. Lucifer was struggling; trying to push his brother off him but Zachariah was holding his arms behind him in a strong grip. Uriel, on the other hand, was trying to pry Raphael's hands off of Lucifer. All four of the angels were tangled together, fists flying about, shouts of pain and anger punctuating each punch and kick.

Lucifer snarled, "Do you really _think _I enjoy being in your company? Believe me, if I could break the deal, I definitely would have. It sickens me to even spend a second with a group of sappy, virtuous, boring, disgusting feathery assho-"

"That is enough." Michael's authoritative voice reverberated off the walls of the hotel room.

Raphael stepped back, pushing Uriel away while Zachariah went back to his corner of the room, giving one last look of contempt towards Lucifer.

Castiel, though quite shocked with the sudden outburst of his brothers, continued their conversation. "What is the deal you have made brother?"

"We helped him escape hell with me, and in return, he would do as I say and help us."

"Help you with what?"

Michael looked at Castiel in the eye. "Eliminate the Leviathans and return them to where they belong, Purgatory."

Castiel was speechless. It did not make sense, as Dean had put it; the angels were _dicks_ and never really cared about the world of the humans. They were content just watching the humans from the comfort of Heaven, amusing themselves with the comedy of human nature.

"Why? Why would you want to help the humans? We have never really concerned ourselves with human affairs, not until the apocalypse, and even then it was for the best of _our _interests, not theirs."

Michael gave a sad smile.

"We were wrong, I see that now. We were foolish, prideful, taking things into our own hands. We should have just let things be as they were, as He had wanted it to be. We were impatient and blinded by our own stupidity. We had lost faith in the Almighty's creation, but you did not. Perhaps that is why our Father had rewarded you, bringing you back time and time again, even when you had fallen."

Michael looked at Castiel, slightly awed.

"No brother, you are mistaken. Our Father is no longer with us; he does not care about us anymore. I have spent months looking for him but he does not want to be found."

"You may believe that to be true, but I do not. There must be a reason why it was possible for me to escape hell so easily. Perhaps our Father has bigger plans for us. It is possible that it is our duty to help the human race and that is why we have come together. It cannot merely be a coincidence. It has to be destiny."

Castiel could see that there was no point arguing with his brother; one of Michael's weaknesses had always been being stubborn. A decision made by him could never be change so Castiel decided not to further pursue that direction of the conversation.

"Castiel," Michael took a step towards him and stood at the edge of the bed. He put a hesitant hand on Castiel's arms and squeezed gently. He looked at him straight in the eye. "We want you to join us."

Castiel pulled his hands away, shocked.

"No." He immediately replied.

"Please brother," Michael pleaded. "We could really use your assistance. After all, Father chose to save _you. _We need you to guide us through this mission."

"No, the last time I tried leading our fellow angels, I went corrupt. I cannot be trusted. I also cannot…" Castiel looked at Lucifer cautiously, still frightened of the fallen angel.

"-trust us." Balthazar finished for him.

"I cannot trust _him._" Castiel corrected, keeping a wary eye on Lucifer, who rolled his eyes.

"Then trust us. Trust me, Cassie!" Balthazar asked desperately.

Castiel shook his head. How could he trust them? They had made a deal with the devil; things were sure to go wrong, just like that the last time an angel made a deal with a demon. The moment that Castiel had realized his mistake and wanted to return the souls, he swore to himself that he would no longer engage in anymore fighting.

"Castiel, I have a proposition." Michael offered. "You should stay with us for a fortnight, and then you may change your mind about us. Till then, you can seek shelter here while your injuries take time to recover."

Castiel frowned. The offer was very generous and the state at which he was in, he could barely walk. How would he be able to fend for himself? Perhaps it would be wise of him to stay for a while, until he got his bearings and then he would leave.

"Alright," he said slowly, still unsure of his decision. "I will stay…"

Michael's face lit up in and Balthazar happily patted him on the back.

"Sweet!" Gabriel exclaimed, grinning at his brother.

"However, I am doubtful that my decision would be changed." Castiel said firmly.

"Nevertheless, I am extremely pleased that you shall be staying with us." Michael patted him on the knee. "You should rest for now; the recent activities have taken a toll on your vessel. Sleep."

Slowly, one by one, the angels left the room. Michael was right; Castiel was beginning to feel sleepy and soon his eyelids drooped low and everything turned dark.

Eilinel0908-05-2012mscottsayshi08-04-2012Slinky-Sinclair08-04-2012Wolfa Moon 


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm back! This week was horrible, with all the drama practices (I haven't memorized my lines yet, EEP!) so I'm sorry for the late update.**

**Thanks to all who reviewed and followed and favourited, YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST:) **

**Any way, here's the next chapter. As usual, don't forget to enjoy and Review, (it gets me all tingly inside!)**

The next time Castiel opened his eyes, it was the following morning. He was lying on the lumpy bed, clothes soaked with sweat and a little out breath. His throat was raw and parched, scratching painfully as he swallowed. He lifted his heavy head, scanning the room to find Raphael standing on the other side of the bed. His arms were crossed tightly in a rigid stance. Bloodshot eyes were strained on him, glaring angrily with a frown fixated on his dark face.

Castiel shifted uncomfortably. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Eyes narrowing, Raphael replied in his booming voice, sounding somewhat annoyed. " I am- as Gabriel had put it- on 'nightmare duty'. You had kept everyone awake all night with your incessant shouts. We had to take turns to quieten you down." he huffed.

Castiel squirmed, now he understood why Dean had always protested to him staring while his charge was sleeping, it was quite an unsettling feeling to know that his brothers were glaring at him the whole time he was asleep. I apologize," he said, looking away from his brother.

Without a word, Raphael all but stormed out. Castiel was still feeling exhausted. He did not feel rested at all, the images from his nightmare still haunting him. He finally understood why Dean had always been so reluctant to sleep for the past few months, nightmares were after all, a common thing for the Winchesters.

Castiel shook his head. He should not be thinking about them anymore, not when he had to move on with his mortal life._ He_ was definitely not thinking about him, probably sitting in a diner, having breakfast with Sam, It was probably best for Castiel to simply forget them.

With a groan, the angel dragged himself out of the bed, shoulders and muscles throbbing painfully. Castiel realized, when he opened stood at the doorway, that his brothers had not just booked a single motel room that Castiel was so used to, they had instead rented an apartment. He found himself in the front room, where most of his brothers were.

Zachariah and Raphael were sitting on the couch with Michael, who was leaning excited towards the television. "This is extremely fascinating!" he cried in awe as he clicked on the remote, finally settling on The Discovery Channel. His mouth was agape, eyes widened, amazed at the beautiful lush green scenery displayed on the black box. Zachariah and Raphael on the other hand, had matching bored faces filled with disdain.

"This is drab and dull, nothing compared to Heaven," Zachariah drawled, turning his head away from the television.

Michael simply responded by politely asking him not to express his negative opinions out loud to which Zachariah gave a human like huff of annoyance.

Lucifer was sitting on a chair in the corner near the door. His back was hunched over as he tried his hardest to ignore Gabriel who was hovering nearby, munching on a candy bar.

"Look at you, the mighty Lucifer, now Michael's bitch. Funny how things turn out huh?" Gabriel taunted gleefully. "Bet you're wishing that you hadn't had treated us so badly hmm?"

"I regret nothing you asshole. Feeling your grace seep out of your pathetic vessel had brought me extreme pleasure, but not as much as when I heard that _bitch_ Kali gasp her last breath. That was pure ecstasy," Lucifer retorted calmly.

At his words, Gabriel's smile tightened and his eyes narrowed.

"Mark my words," Lucifer continued, spitting out each syllable. "When this deal ends and I am free, I will make sure to find a way for all of you to do nothing but scream in pain."

Gabriel smirked. "Yeah? Well until then, you're our little pet," Gabriel petted his head, earning him a glare in his direction which he simply ignored.

Gabriel turned around and spotted Castiel leaning heavily against the door.

"Hey Cas!" Gabriel cried wrapping his arm around Castiel's shoulder. All eyes turned to him and Michael rushed to his side, with a look of worry on his face.

"You do not seem well," he observed, taking a good look at his brother.

"He's probably just hungry. Heck, I know I am!" Gabriel exclaimed even though he had eaten through five chocolate bars the whole morning.

"It seems that I too have developed a sort of hunger," Michael frowned as his brothers nodded slowly in agreement, patting their stomachs in disbelief.

"It is possible that we need to sustain ourselves by ensuring that our vessels are fed." Castiel suggested.

Zachariah and Raphael looked horrified, as though the notion of eating, of doing something so terribly human was beneath them.

Everyone was deep in thought when the door to their motel room burst open, making Lucifer almost jump out if his seat. In stormed Uriel, face clouded with anger, followed by an annoyed Balthazar.

"Thanks a lot you nimrod. Fantastic job you did out there!"

Balthazar sounded royally pissed.

"Humans!" Uriel spat out. "They do not seem to hold any respect for their superiors!"

"What happened?" Zachariah asked as everyone looked at the two.

"Beady-eyed, egg-headed douchewad!" thundered Uriel. "That is what that mudmonkey at the counter called me!"

Lucifer snorted while Gabriel guffawed loudly. Uriel glared at both of them angrily.

"He's right, your eyes are beady!"Gabriel chuckled, going closer to the other, much to his annoyance.

"You really didn't have to be such a drama queen over it did you?" Balthazar yelled.

"He deserved what he got!" he growled.

"Alright, what exactly happened?" Zachariah asked curiously.

"Well," Balthazar explained. "Both Uriel and I went over to extend our stay here but the receptionist was on the phone. Mr Angry-pants over here grew impatient and snapped at the receptionist to which he called him a-"

"Beady-eyed egg headed douchewad!" Uriel roared in disbelief. "How dare that ape say that to me, an angel? Really, I still do not understand why we have to help these ungrateful animals?"

Balthazar rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Uriel let loose some of his own choice words."

"Yeah, what did he say?" Gabriel asked, not bothering to hide his grin.

"I called him a filthy barbaric imbecile told him to watch his tongue or I would be forced to cut it out and smite him." Uriel replied proudly.

"I'm sure he deserved it," Zachariah said.

"Sure, fantastic job you moron, now he's thrown us out," Balthazar shouted sarcastically, taking a purposeful step towards Uriel.

Uriel tensed his muscled and straightened his back, ready for a fight. Michael stepped between them and raised his hands in warning to both brothers. Immediately, the two angels relaxed their stance but still continued glaring at each other. "It seems that we have no choice but to leave this place. We should start gathering our belongings." He stated reasonably.

"But where will we go?" Raphael asked.

Michael frowned, thinking. Suddenly, a huge growl could be heard and he looked down at his belly in surprise. Patting it, he said, "I think right now, sustenance is of import."

"To a diner it is then!" Gabriel jumped excitedly at the mention of food.

"I'll go look for a car to jack. I think I saw minivan out in the parking lot. Not really my style but it's probably the only thing that can accommodate us." Balthazar shrugged, looking at all his brothers.

Michael's eyebrows shot up as his eyes widened in shock. "You are going to _steal_?"

"Balthazar waved the accusation off with his hands. " If we're going to live on earth from now on, we gonna have to act like its people. Lying and stealing are what they're best at."

Michael opened his mouth to protest but Balthazar ignored him as he turned to open the door.

"Finally, food!" Gabriel yelled gleefully as the angels piled out the door.

* * *

They were an odd sight in the small breakfast diner that Gabriel had chosen. They occupied one of the larger booths at the back but even then, they drew some stares as the eight angels in the vessels of grown men had to squeeze together, elbows touching each other.

After much thought, Gabriel managed to convince his brothers to order everything on the menu, which earned a rather baffled look from the waitress. Balthazar waved his credit cards in front of her and she left to get their breakfast.

It was quite a sight when she returned with the food, followed by two other waiters, struggling under the weight. After everything was laid out on the very cluttered table, the brothers were left alone to eat their meal. Gabriel was delighted with the huge spread in front of him and immediately dug into a pile of pancakes. The rest of his brothers however, apart from Balthazar and Lucifer, just kept staring.

"C'mon! Thish ish aweshome!" Gabriel exclaimed with his mouth full.

Michael was the first to move, reaching out tentatively. Gabriel pushed a whole plate of waffles towards and doused it with syrup.

"Here, use these." He instructed as Michael took the utensils from his hand.

Michael rolled the fork in his fingers and gave a confused look to his brothers.

"Honestly, Michael, you seem just as clueless as Castiel here!" Balthazar proceeded on to teach his brother some table etiquette.

After struggling for more than a few minutes, Michael finally gave up and grabbed the pancakes with his hands. He took a small bit and his eyes lit up in surprise. He gave out a slow moan of pleasure and devoured the rest in just a few quick bites.

"Look at you, already behaving like any other filthy mongrel," sneered Zachariah as he looked down at Michael who was dripping syrup down their face.

"Don't knock it till you try it! Everyone's enjoying themselves, even Raphael over there." Gabriel pointed at Raphael who was now attacking the food with much gusto.

Pretty soon, all conversation had ceased at the table as everyone gobbled down their breakfast. Castiel had not realized how hungry he was until he took a bite of his sausages. After that he just kept filling his mouth with more, savoring each bite. To everyone's surprise, (even Gabriel's) they had managed to clear everything on the table, every scrap of food was now in their stomachs. It was not just the taste that had caused this, no, it was the empty feeling in their bellies that ached to be filled, a feeling they now recognized to be hunger.

Stomachs bloated and now feeling slightly queasy, the eight angels leaned back. "Now that breakfast is out of the way, we need to figure out some things pronto," Balthazar said, snapping his fingers.

"The state and condition we have now found ourselves in is quite puzzling," Michael agreed.

"Our grace has obviously been reduced. I no longer feel its pulsing energy within me anymore. The fact that we desire such petty human needs is evident enough that we are now one of them," Raphael announced solemnly.

Everyone looked down at the table sadly, some looked defeated others horrified while Lucifer sat in the corner smirking.

"I don't think that is possible. I still feel its presence, though not very strong. And I was able to enter Castiel's head and walk into his dreams. That's not a very human thing to do," Balthazar argued, shaking his head.

"I could do that too, but it did leave me feeling slightly weird and tired," Gabriel added.

"Well, it is possible that since Balthazar, Gabriel, Zachariah, Uriel and Raphael had fought strongly and used up much energy into helping Lucifer and I escape perdition, you might have lost your powers to a certain extent. Lucifer and I had also needed to strain ourselves while we were in the pit…" Michael trailed off.

Castiel interjected, "The ritual of getting the souls back in Purgatory was exhausting and the Leviathans left only after draining me off. Michael's theory could mean something."

"That what, our batteries are out of juice and we just need some time to recharge?" asked Gabriel.

Michael nodded his head slowly. "However, I do not think that our graces can ever be as powerful as what they were before. Not when we have been cut off from heaven…"

"Then we gotta find out the extent of our capabilities, and fast too if we want to beat the crap out of the Leviathans." Everyone nodded their heads in agreement with Gabriel's words.

"It would be best if we could find an establishment to permanently reside it," Raphael pondered.

Balthazar glared across the table at Uriel, still bitter over the previous incident. Uriel stared back defiantly and neither broke eye contact until a thought crossed Balthazar.

"I still have some mansions under my, or rather my vessel's name." he suggested.

"Are there any nearby?" Zachariah leaned forward.

"There's one in this town."

"Well, let's move in then!" Gabriel exclaimed excitedly.

Everyone around the table sighed in relief, happy that they had found a solution and some place for shelter.

"As much as it pains me to say it, we should familiarize ourselves with the ways of humans since it seems that we might be staying this way for a while," Uriel stated in distaste.

"Angel Boot Camp; Learning to fight like humans and charging up to be angels. It has a really cool ring to it huh?" Gabriel waved his arms, eyes shining.

"Well it's time we leave, I'll go pay the bill and we'll meet in the parking lot," Balthazar stood up, reaching for his wallet.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey:) So initially I had more planned for this chapter but after I wrote it all out, I found it too long so I'm splitting it. I just went skating with friends and now I'm sore all over and it hurts to even sit down! So ****A HUGE THANK YOU****! to my sister for helping me transform my sloppy handwriting to words on the screen, God bless her soul. A huge ****GOOD LUCK! ****also goes out for Eilinel09 who's having exams for the next two weeks :) All the best and Gambate!**

**A shout out to:**

**SuperwholockianAssbutt for following and favouritig,**

**and**

**Karadon and DaydreamerSkura101 for favouriting.**

**OH! Before I forget, if you guys have the time, check out When Angels Deserve To Die by Amynion. Its an amayyzing story with so much angst and Hurt!Castiel that it left me crying for a day! She did a really good job with it and she's now working on a sequel. CHECK IT OUT! Its awesome!**

CHAPTER 6:

The eight angels trudged in through the door, feet dragging and shoulders slumped. Sore muscles screamed in protest as the worn out angels arranged themselves across the couch, too tired to do anything but breathe. Gabriel had chosen instead to lie on the carpet, limbs splayed all over the floor. His chest could be seen rising rapidly with each deep breath. Even Lucifer looked drained as he draped himself over the loveseat, eyelids drooping.

"I'm pooped," Gabriel groaned, earning moans of agreement from his brothers. The past five days had been long and tiring and Castiel was exhausted. He had already healed (in a very human way) from his previous injuries but the recent activities were still a strain on his vessel. They were now eating more than ever, ordering enough to feed a whole army each meal. Learning and living like humans was extremely tough and exhausting.

Balthazar and Gabriel had taken over the duty of mentoring their clueless brothers since they themselves had spent a few years on earth, living among the humans. They taught the other angels that it was important to eat when they were hungry and to stop when they were full. After the breakfast incident, the two realized that their brothers did have taste buds and could appreciate the different tastes each food they had. This got Gabriel excited and he decided to order a different type of food every meal.

It was quite hilarious on the first night when Gabriel had ordered in Chinese. The brothers had found using forks and spoons inconvenient but all complains about them died as soon as they were faced with chopsticks. Everyone's face was screwed up in concentration as they observed Balthazar's demonstration. Raphael, Uriel, Lucifer and Zachariah, being fast learners, had gotten it the second time. After a few tries, even Castiel could more or else eat with them. However, poor Michael was struggling with the chopsticks even after twenty minutes. He groaned in frustration repeatedly and finally gave up, using the sticks to poke through his eggrolls and fishballs instead of picking them up. When it came to the noodles, he decided to use his hands, much to the disgust of Uriel and Zachariah. Balthazar just rolled his eyes and started on his own meal, too hungry to care.

Two afternoons later, Gabriel went to the nearest Mexican restaurant in town and brought home a huge variety of dishes. It seemed that Zachariah and Uriel like food that was spicy and savory while Michael's face had turned red and he began tearing up when he bit into his chicken enchiladas. Michael's stomach also didn't agree with the food and spent the next few hours in the bathroom. Meanwhile, Raphael found out that he was allergic to peanuts the hard way. Fortunately for him, Castiel had noticed the rashes forming on his neck. Balthazar made a quick run to the drug store and minutes later, Raphael had a rather swollen neck lathered with ointment. Gabriel found the whole thing rather funny but the glare shot by Raphael in his direction silenced is laughs almost immediately.

Much to Balthazar's and Gabriel's dismay, teaching their brothers about eating and food was actually the easy part. The real struggle came when it was time to teach them about hygiene. Lucifer was easy enough to deal with as he learned everything quite fast. Balthazar was relieved about that as he didn't like spending much time with the devil and dealing with his snide remarks. Gabriel seemed to like being with him though. He found it entertaining to taunt him whenever he could and if Lucifer retorted back, Gabriel needed to just pretend to feel hurt and Michael would have a stern talk with Lucifer. Whatever the exact nature of the deal the two of them had, it seemed to mean that Lucifer had to listen to Michael's every word, though unhappily.

Michael was a faithful son, a loyal brother and an undefeatable angel. He, however, was a terrible human. It was probably because as an angel, he had depended heavily on his grace, after all, he was the most powerful in the garrison and all the other angels would always turn to him for guidance. Now it seemed that he was the child of the entire group. Even Castiel was better than him, with his experience with the Winchesters.

Michael had a hard time grasping the concept of cleaning himself. The first struggle came when Balthazar tried to teach him to brush his teeth. Castiel was meticulous when brushing, spending a whole fifteen minutes in the toilet. Michael however found it a tiresome task and left the bathroom almost as soon as he had entered it. He did not like brushing his teeth, partly due to the fact that he could not maneuver his toothbrush properly and he always ended up choking on the brush, foam dripping from his chin.

However, the worst (and the most awkward) was when after the first night, it was clear that they needed a bath. Balthazar stood in front of the shower with the others gathered around him in the toilet, listening intently. He instructed them clearly on the different types of soaps and shampoos to use and finally they understood the task. One by one they showered, Castiel taking the longest. Michael, on the other hand, was halfway through his bath when he found the water too cold. Balthazar had almost chocked on his coffee when Michael entered the kitchen, completely naked except for the soap dripping off his body to inform him that he wanted his water to be warmer. Then followed the embarrassing lesson on decency.

"But you are my bother! Surely it is acceptable to see me without my clothes. After all, our Father had created this body and there is nothing wrong with it," Michael frowned as he gestured to the rest of his body.

"Just put some clothes on!" Balthazar begged, covering his eyes.

Fortunately for Balthazar, he had won the game of rock-paper-scissors against Gabriel was so it was not his turn to teach the angels how to use the toilet. Looking at the state in which Gabriel was after his 'lesson' with his brothers, Balthazar as glad that he had won. He was about to ask (and maybe tease) Gabriel about it but the look that Gabriel threw in his direction stopped him just in time, before a murder took place.

Other than learning how to deal with basic human needs, Raphael had suggested they learn how to fight like humans too. That was why they were left feeling exhausted at the end of each day.

They were training as though they were gearing up for a war, which, in a sense, they were. The day started off with the running a few round around the field behind the mansion. Fortunately for them, their vessels already had a very good stamina and they only needed to improve it. In the afternoons, Balthazar and Gabriel would teach them about guns. Each day they would be shown a different kind of gun and off they would go to the field for target practice. Castiel was rather good the shotgun. His arms were steady and his aim was spot-on. Most of the time , his brothers would gather around and stare at him in awe as he shot bullet after bullet, always hitting the bull's-eye. Even Gabriel and Balthazar were impressed and Raphael, Uriel and Zachariah swallowed their pride and began asking him for advice. Soon, after the third day, Castiel too began helping Gabriel and Balthazar teach his fellow angels.

Towards evening, when it became dark, the eight angels would stand outside and test out the capabilities of their graces. On the first day, nothing happened but after a few days, Lucifer had managed to turn himself invisible, or rather part of himself. All eight angels yelled in triumph when his thumb disappeared. For a while, the angels had forgotten all about the bad blood they had between each other and just stood in the field, swallowed in each others' arms. After that incident, the angels became more encouraged and worked on expanding their grace so they could cover themselves in it and become invisible to the human eye. Very soon, every one of them would turn totally invisible.

However, for Castiel, it proved to be the hardest. His progress slow and at the end of each session, he would be ready to collapse. His brothers would encourage and coach his though. During training, for just a few hours, it seemed like they were back to being a family, like they were back in heaven before the war.

Finally, today, on the fifth say, Castiel had successfully cloaked himself and turned himself invisible. Everyone was happy and hugged him tight while congratulating him. Castiel himself could not help but grin widely, proud of his accomplishment. However, the whole session had drained much of him energy and the rest had to drag him back inside.

"Alright, I'll go order dinner," Gabriel announced, lifting himself from the carpet.

"I need a drink," murmured Balthazar as he got off the couch, pointedly ignoring the disapproving look that Michael was throwing in his direction.

One by one, the angels retreated into their room. With each step Castiel made, a moan escaped his lips. He could feel bruises forming on his shoulders after he had hit himself pretty hard and his muscles had begun stiffening. Castiel sat on his bed and moved each limb slowly, assessing the soreness of his muscles.

For the past few days, Michael had taken over the job as Castiel's personal care taker. After each vigorous training session, Michael would make his way to Castiel's room with some ice packs and some Advil for his headaches. Castiel actually looked forward to those nights when Michael would gently press the ice over his bruises and sore muscles and they would just chat. After being cut off from his family and the apocalypse putting a strain on their relationship, Castiel found it comforting to be just coddled by his brother. He knew he should not be getting used to it because somewhere at the back of his mind a voice was telling him that he was going to leave anyway. A few days ago his decision to not stay was firm but not that choice seemed like a bad one. He actually felt like he belonged here and it was nice to work for a purpose, it was the way he was made. If he were to leave, where would he go? What would he do?

Suddenly, the door to his room was opened rather roughly. Castiel looked up expecting to see Michael but to his shock; Lucifer standing at the doorway. He was carrying a bunch of ice packs and he scowled at him.

Castiel was still frightened of the Morning Star and he began stuttering. "Wh-what are you d-doing here?"

Giving Castiel a dirty look, Lucifer plopped himself on the bed beside him. Without warning, he grabbed Castiel's shoulders and rubbed them with the ice roughly. Castiel gave a yelp of pain which Lucifer ignored and continued his not-so-gentle treatment.

After a while, Lucifer spoke up, "Don't think that I'm doing this for you, I don't give a rat's ass about how you are right now. Michael's a little tired and he ordered me to help you out."

"Thank you," Castiel said, unsure of how to respond.

Lucifer rolled his eyes and snapped. "Like I said, I'm doing this against my will and I don't do Thank You-s."

Castiel lowered his eyes and nodded meekly. He suddenly felt another hard jab at his shoulder blades and he jumped at the pain. He glared at Lucifer with poorly disguised anger in his eyes.

"There you go, anger, an emotion I can understand. Really Castiel, where has all the indignation gone? Your _righteousness, _that was what was so different about you. You were always so determined, with that stick up your ass. It was annoying as hell, believe me, I _know _hell. Now you're just a pathetic cowardly shell of a loser-angel who's scared shitless to do anything for himself. You're a disgrace to your brothers and to think I actually wanted you as an ally once!" Lucifer snorted.

Even though the devil's words were harsh and spiteful, Castiel could not help but think that this was his own way of comforting him. Long ago, before the apocalypse, the great war in heaven, when times were simpler, Castiel and Lucifer were very close brothers and at that time they were certain that nothing could drive them far apart. Now, after more than a millennium and thousands of wars later, they were sitting on the bed together and Castiel could not help but be slightly comforted by his brother's words.

Castiel smiled a little. "Watch who you're calling cowardly, I once defeated you in a battle."

Lucifer responded only by scoffing and pressing harder on his back. Castiel gave him a small smile which Lucifer returned with another of his scowls.

Suddenly, an excited shout could be heard from downstairs.

"Guys, quickly come down!" Gabriel's excited voice rang around the mansion.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Oh my gosh, its been such a hectic week for me! I had my O'level practicals, dentist appointments and tons of tests! Speaking of which, i just had my English test a few days back and you'll never guess what! The dude in the passage was named Sam and we was carrying a 44 ****WINCHESTER**** rifle! COINCIDENCE? I THINK ITS JUST FATE! Guess who had a stupid grin on her face throughout the rest of the paper?**

**So anyway, thanks to those who followed and reviewed! I've been really busy so here is a quick update!**

**As usual, REVIEW and ENJOY!**

Why have you called upon us when dinner has not even arrived yet?" Raphael grumbled in irritation.

Beside him, Zachariah and Uriel crossed their arms and looked equally annoyed.

They were in the dining room which they seldom used as they preferred to eat together in the front room. The room was lavishly decorated with old paintings dotting its walls and expensive-looking statues placed in each corner. However, what drew the most attention was the dining table sitting in the center of the room. It was a dark brown mahogany with a deep red velvet cloth draped over it. The table was long enough to fit ten people on each side and it seemed that not too long ago, it was used to host large dinner parties.

However, the angels were not standing around to appreciate its beauty. Instead, the five of them were huddled at one corner of the room. Gabriel and Balthazar were sitting at the head of the table with the others crowded around him. The table was strewn with newspapers and other articles.

"Would you guys just smile for a change? I'm always seeing you guys so pissy all the time! You better be careful, 'cause that expression's gonna get stuck on your face." Gabriel warned, waggling his fingers towards his brothers.

"Do not be ridiculous!" scorned Zachariah. "We are perfectly capable of changing our facial expressions as and when we want to. And we will not be smiling unless you tell us why we have been called here for."

"Just chill man, once the others are here, I'll spill."

Just then, Michael entered the room, followed by Lucifer and Castiel, who was limping as he walked in. Balthazar immediately got up and pulled Castiel away from Lucifer, giving the other a suspicious glare behind Castiel's back. Then, Balthazar gently placed his brother in the chair he was previously sitting on. A snort could be heard from Zachariah as he rolled his eyes at the affection that Balthazar was showing but he promptly did not say anything after Balthazar shot him a murderous look.

"What is this about?" Michael asked as he looked at the pile of papers.

Gabriel gestured to the newspapers and said, "Well, Balthazar and I just found the week's newspapers in the trash-"

"Because some_ idiot_ couldn't even do his job right and actually bring _in _the newspapers, not throw them in the bin," Balthazar growled.

"I did not think them to be of importance," Uriel argued.

"That's right, you _didn't think_!" Balthazar snapped.

"They're just news about the mud monkeys, why do we even need to know about them?" snorted Uriel.

"Because we're trying to bloody save them, you stupid Ass!"

"As much as I'd like to see a fight break out," Lucifer drawled. "I'd really like to quickly get to the end of this meeting and go back to my room and away from you imbeciles. So, everyone, just shut the hell up and let Gabriel talk.

Gabriel gave a sigh and started over.

"So anyway, we found the newspapers and I've read some really interesting stuff here."

The seven of them crowded around Gabriel as they took turns looking at the articles that he had selected.

"You see here," Gabriel said, handing him the previous week's newspaper. A week ago, a woman, Jenna Wills from Brandon stabbed her husband in the chest five times right before slitting her own throat. By the time the police arrived at the scene, both were dead. Investigations are going on but the motif for the murder has yet to be found out. The neighbors claim that they were a loving couple and that they could not understand how such a thing could happen.'"

Gabriel gave his brothers a meaningful look.

Balthazar took over, pointing at various articles as he continued. "Over the span of the next seven days, the same thing happens to various women all over Brandon, slowly inching into Sioux Falls. Two days ago, a teenager from the local high school slits her boyfriend's throat before doing the same to herself. Her best friend Lindsey Nicole witnessed the whole thing. She has been sent to Sioux Falls Psychiatric Ward after she claims that her friend was in fact being possessed. "

"So you want us to do some petty hunter's work," Zachariah stated angrily.

Before Balthazar could reply to his retort, Uriel slammed his fist on the surface of the mahogany table and barked, "We are trying to stop the Leviathans and we cannot simply waste precious time on silly errands. How could you even think of proposing such an impractical quest?"

"Look here you thick-headed, feeble-minded numbskull, we're not just trying to start a pissing contest with those dolt heads, we're also here to actually save the human beings. Did that blockhead of yours forget that?" Balthazar snapped back, pushing Uriel on the chest and sparing Zachariah an angry glance.

Michael stepped between the three and while they were still furious at each other, the look of warning he gave kept them in place.

"It might be wise of us to start with something small so that we can get accustomed to fighting without the full capacity of our graces," Raphael suggested.

"Will you look at that, Baldie's finally making some sense!" Gabriel teased with an air of mock surprise to which the other rolled his eyes.

"But," Michael asked nervously, eying Castiel who still looked pale and tired. "Do you really think we are ready?"

Castiel caught the look of uncertainty that Michael was directing at him and he said firmly, "I will be fine. I agree with brother Raphael, this shall be good practice for us."

After a few more arguments, mostly from Zachariah and Uriel (Lucifer remained neutral throughout the whole discussion), it was decided that they would take on the case.

* * *

The next morning was a flurry of excitement. While Gabriel always made sure that any meal consumed by his brothers was a grand affair, the breakfast that day was quick and rushed. Soon after everyone was fed, the dishes were replaced with their necessary papers.

"First and foremost, we have to actually know what we are dealing with," Balthazar pondered.

"It is obviously something that can possess," Castiel said, eying the article once more. "We are most probably dealing with a vengeful spirit… or a demon attack."

The angels nodded in agreement around the table.

"We definitely need more information. It would be wise if we spoke to the witnesses," Michael suggested.

Castiel nodded his head. "Speaking from experience with the Winc-humans, it would seem to we should impose as an authoritative figure; humans do not react well to the truth."

Michael frowned in confusion, as though he could not believe that anyone would prefer not to know the truth.

"Castiel is right, humans are ignorant prats that would not believe the truth even if our Father came down and told them Himself." Uriel stated.

Fortunately for the angels, they were a large group so they could split up and cover more ground. Balthazar and Zachariah were going to speak to the teenager at Sioux Falls Psychiatric Ward while Gabriel and Uriel were given the task of questioning the police. Michael insisted that Castiel could not strain himself yet so he, Michael, Raphael and of course Lucifer stayed back at the mansion to help with the research as much as possible. Raphael was surprisingly good with the internet, being able to sieve through information and hack away into any site.

It was close to noon when the four of them received a call from Gabriel.

"Have you found out anything of importance?" Raphael asked impatiently upon picking up the call.

"Well hello to you too, Sunshine!"

"Gabriel…"

"All right, all right. Sheesh , no sense of humor at all.." Gabriel muttered over the phone. "We couldn't really find out much. None of the cases share any similarity. All six women are of different races, religion, age, family background… Frankly, the police didn't even think that the murders were related. We'll be taking a closer look at the files once we get them."

"Thank you Gabriel. Four hours and this is the results you come up with? I am _certain_ that this will help us _very much._" Raphael snapped angrily.

"Hey, sarcasm! Guess there is hope for you after all-"

Raphael practically broke the phone as he flung it across the room.

The rest of the afternoon was spent waiting by the phone. The four of them were getting on each other's nerves, especially Raphael and Lucifer, who kept butting heads over everything. Michael was close to popping a vein while trying to separate his two brothers when the phone rang shrilly.

Balthazar and Zachariah, it seemed, were more successful in attaining information.

"It's a demon." Balthazar stated the moment Castiel picked up the phone.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Positive. The girl swore her friend smelled all funny, like rotten eggs. Do you know anything that smells worse than a demon?"

"Balthazar, that could mean anything. It is not wise for us to simply make an assumption."

"_Cassie._ Did I forget to mention that the best friend claimed that her blue-eyed friend's eyes had turned _black_?"

"_Black?_ Have you gathered any other clues?"

"Well, you know, Lindsey claims that her friend was a very nice person, loved her boyfriend very much and they were even planning on getting married… Yadda Yadda. Oh hey, here's something interesting, it says in here that the girl was preggo."

"She was with-child?"

Yes, Cassie, that's exactly what I said you bozo. Think that could mean anything?"

"I do not know for sure. Have you spoken to Gabriel yet?"

"Not yet, but we are planning on meeting together to take a look at the bodies at the morgue."

When the four other angels returned home, they had much to offer their brothers. They found out from Gabriel that the other five women were indeed pregnant, and what was even weirder was that every one of them was six months into their pregnancy.

Balthazar then recounted their visit to the morgue and what a sight the bodies were there! While the men looked quite normal with stab wounds inflicted on their chests, it was the women who looked terrible. The newspapers were right in reporting that they had slit their own throats but what failed to make it to the papers was the fact that their whole abdomens were clawed out and the fetus had gone missing.

With heads buzzing with the new information, the angels decided to retire for the night; after all, it had been a long and tiring day.

* * *

Castiel was woken with a start the early in the morning. Raphael was calling upon his brothers, demanding that the come down at once. With heavy eyelids and annoyed grumbles, the seven of them found him in the front room, a triumphant smile on his face. It seemed that Raphael had not slept the entire night but instead spent the time doing a fair bit of research. And quite a fruitful research it had been.

"I think I solved the mystery," Raphael said, as gleefully as his stoic face could muster.

"Then spill, Scooby," Gabriel said as he yawned.

"The demons are trying to resurrect Lucifer by breaking the remaining of the seals," Raphael explained. "We are all aware of the sacrificial ritual in which six unborn babies are supposed to be unwillingly taken from their family and a spell shall be cast with their bodies on-"

"The sixth night of the month, which is tomorrow," Michael finished.

"Do we know exactly where this ritual will be taking place?" Balthazar asked.

Raphael nodded. "The spell is needed to be completed on 'land that the dead belongs on.' Therefore it should be taking place Stull cemetery. After all, it is only fitting that they would choose the place where they had lost their master."

"Alright, so we know who, we know why, we know when and where. All we gotta do know is gank them," Gabriel stated enthusiastically.

* * *

"Boy, any luck on getting a lead on the Leviathans?"

Dean sighed on the phone.

"Nada Bobby. It was just a false alarm. What a waste. It's been a week and all we've come up with is nothing. Driving to Lincoln was a waste of time."

"Hey, no one said saving the world would be fast and easy."

Dean groaned in agreement.

"Anyway, you boys up for a simple hunt then?"

"Oh yes, right now, I'll kill just about anything!"

"Then get your asses back here, I think we might have a case of demon attacks right here in Sioux Falls."

"Sam and I'll be right over."

**A/N: So I'm not American and definitely don't know anything about the cities there so I'm sorry if there are an inaccuracies in the fic! Also, I can't really write 'hunts-centered fics' so here is a poor attempt at one! Sorry if its terrible!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Yay! There's only a week left to the new season! Unfortunately, its also only a week left till my year-end exams. BOOHOO! I really think that the teachers are plotting against us! **

**Alright! Just ended my bio lesson( **we actually had to dissect hearts! though surprisingly it was kinda fun!**) and I quickly rushed home to finish this chapter. This is slightly longer that usual because the next update might take a while longer (exams, grrr)!**

**As usual, REVIEW AND ENJOY!**

**Also, a thank you to:**

**angel de acuario for following and favouriting,**

**Tashiya for following,**

**Deadlypoisons for following **

**Chazoid for following and favouriting**

**zabani-chan for following and favouriting**

**and finally, Karadon forfavoriting.**

**Cheers! :D**

Castiel was feeling frustrated. The eight of them had been preparing for the hunt the last two days with a kind of fervor. They spent every waking hour loading their shotguns with rock salt and filling bottles upon bottles with holy water. Memorizing the exorcism spells was easier yet still bothersome. And after hours of getting ready for the hunt, it was no surprise that Castiel had almost exploded with rage when Michael had forbidden him to come along, minutes before leaving for Stull Cemetery.

Michael insisted that Castiel was not ready, he could barely heal himself after their evening sessions, how was he to manage fighting a demon? The rest had agreed with Michael, whether it be due to the reason or in Uriel and Zachariah's case, simply out of spite. For a while, Castiel suspected that his brothers did not trust him enough to bring him along but when he brought the issue up to Balthazar, the notion was idea was dismissed.

"I'm starting to sound like a broken record here but you really have been forgiven, Cassie. We are just a little concerned, that's all. No offense, but you're really weak and we can't be worrying about you while trying to get rid of those demons!"

His brothers' concern for him, although touching, did nothing to lesson the annoyance Castiel was feeling right now. After enduring through days of training, he was now stuck in the awful mansion while his brothers were off fighting a battle he should have been part of.

Of course, Lucifer was with him.

While Castiel was left behind because his brothers were worried about his safety, Lucifer was a different story altogether. Despite Michael's assurance, none of the other angels trusted the Morning Star, especially concerning the hunt. Nor could they stand being anywhere near him. As a result, Lucifer was ordered to stay back, on the pretext of keeping an eye on Castiel.

Castiel was pacing around his room for the hundredth time that evening, eye brows furrowed and fists clenched behind his back. He was no doubt worried about his brothers, wondering if they were doing fine. After spending the past week with is brothers, the thought of loosing them made his chest constrict in pain. They had gone through much together and the fact that most of them could see past his mistakes and take him in made him all the more fonder of them. Of course Zachariah and Uriel were still being spiteful towards him, Raphael cold and distant, Gabriel being his special brand of annoying, and Lucifer difficult to understand but these were his brothers, his family. He would never leave them now, especially after he was certain that they were genuinely willing to help the human race, the current situation being much proof of that. He just wished that he would be molly-coddled less and be allowed to fight along side with them.

Suddenly, the door to Castiel's room was burst open. He gave a yelp of surprise and slight irritation; at this rate he would need to get a new door. There stood Lucifer at the doorway, strapped with shotguns and hands carrying bottles of holly water.

"Wh-what?" Castiel gasped, confused.

"Quite moping around and gear-up!" Lucifer barked.

"I do not understand." Castiel replied as he caught the weapons that were being tossed towards him."

"I'm not sitting here with my thumbs up my ass while I miss out on all the action out there!"

"But Michael said that were not to go to-"

"Stull Cemetery," Lucifer finished. "But we're not going there."

"I'm afraid I do not know what you are talking about."

"Oh Castiel," Lucifer sighed. "You really are dim-witted."

Castiel responded with an annoyed grumble which was somewhat muffled as his brother threw a coat towards his face.

"Our thick-headed brothers may think otherwise but demons _are_ smart. Do you really think they will be at Stull Cemetery when they know that there are hunters out there? They're not very sentimental creatures anyway, they'll just perform the ritual anyplace that suits their needs." Lucifer explained. "And right now I'm thinking it's at S.T Michael Cemetery instead."

"Are you certain?" Castiel asked doubtfully.

"Of course!" scoffed his brother.

"Then we must inform our brothers!" Castiel reached towards his phone but was stopped by Lucifer.

"Are you insane or just plain stupid?" He exclaimed. "If we tell Michael and his posse, they'll just go there themselves and we will miss out on all the fun."

"But…"

"Come on! Now will be your chance to show them what you are capable of. Imagine, if we succeed, they will stop treating you like the delicate fragile child they think you are. Take this opportunity to prove yourself."

Castiel hesitated. He was under strict orders not to participate in the fight but how long could they keep him away? Sooner or later he would have to join them in battle, it was time the took him seriously and this was a chance to ensure as such.

"Alright," Castiel agreed, finally convinced.

Dean was squinting hard in the darkness, ears perked up to pick even the softest of sounds, Sam was beside him equally alert with his fingers clenched around his gun. Both of them had just reached Stull Cemetery and were staking out the place to check if the demons were there already. Dean looked at Sam and jerked his head, pointing to the opposite end across the field. It was a familiar signal which meant for them to split up and check the place more thoroughly. Sam nodded and headed off to the other side of the cemetery.

Dean raked his eyes over the expanse of the cemetery. His eyes were still getting used to the dark which was why he had almost missed the movement of a shadow towards his right. The second time it moved, Dean caught it almost immediately. His pulse quickened as the familiar rush of adrenaline ran through his veins. Sam was too far away for him to call out to without making too much noise and alerting whoever it was out there.

With his forefinger poised over the trigger, Dean swiftly flung himself onto the silhouette, hands grabbing for a throat. They tumbled onto the ground with a thud that sounded loud in the silence if the cemetery.

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis-" the words that formed the incantation spilled out of his lips but he stopped abruptly mid-sentence.

The street lamp nearby cast its light on them, illuminating the body he was now on top of. The face of his half-brother, Adam stared up at him with wide eyes.

"Dean Winchester," the stiff words were spoken in a voice that did not sound like his brother's.

"Michael," understanding dawned on Dean along with a sinking feeling of horror and confusion.

Without warning, Dean lashed out, feeling lips split open under his fists as he made contact with Michael's face. Warm blood decorated his knuckles and trickled down the other's chin. Dean was surprised, the last time he had hit an angel, he had almost broken his hands and the other had not even flinched. And now, even as he was staring down at Michael, there was no sign of the bust lip healing itself, like he had seen so many times. Dean was aiming another punch when he felt someone grab him from behind. He yelled in surprise as another pair of hands roughly turned him around.

"Wh-wh-?" his breath left him when he saw the familiar faces of Uriel and Zachariah staring at him.

"Dean," Sam's voice rumbled.

Dean turned around and saw that his brother's arms were pinned firmly behind him by a man that he recognized to be Raphael's vessel.

_This can't be happening, these angels are supposed to be dead! _Dean's chest was constricting in fear as his heart pounded loudly.

"Hello Dean-o!" Gabriel waved as he and Balthazar ambled towards them.

"Ahh, Sammy," Balthazar smirked, opening his arms out in mock welcome.

_Alright, now it's just getting weird. _Dean was sure that his head was going to explode with the strangeness of the situation.

"What the hell's going on?" Sam demanded,

He flinched as Gabriel turned around and patted his hair in a soothing manner.

"Get your hands off of him!" Dean growled as he struggled against the tight hold of Zachariah. "How the hell are you feathery dicks still alive? And what do you want?"

"There is no need to worry, Dean Winchester," Michael's calm voice cut in. "We are not here to cause any harm to you and your brother. My brothers and I are simply hoping to stop the demons. I assume you are here to do the same."

"_Not here to cause any harm?_" Dean gave a sarcastic bark of laughter. "The last time you and your brothers were '_not here to cause a harm', _the freaking apocalypse had started!"

Michael's eyes were suddenly clouded with what Dean would have thought to be anger if he had not known better.

"We had made a grave mistake-"

"Why are we wasting our time explaining ourselves to these insignificant monkeys?" Uriel huffed.

Raphael agreed. "We should leave, it is already past midnight and there is no sign of the demons. They probably knew that someone might be here to stop them so they did not follow through the ritual."

After a moment of thinking, Michael nodded. The others followed after him as he walked away. Uriel gave Dean's arms a sharp twist before turning around to leave. As soon as the grip on his arms was gone, Dean reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and his fingers tightened around the cold metal hilt of a knife. With a snarl, he attacked Uriel. The blade cut through his shirt and left a deep cut on the skin of his shoulder. Uriel responded immediately by grabbing Dean by his head and kneeing him in the face. Tears sprung in his eyes as he heard the sound of broken bones and felt pain shoot through his nose. Before he could recover, Uriel grabbed the knife from Dean's hands and plunged it straight into his back. With a groan of agony, Dean slumped to the ground, barely able to keep himself upright.

"Dean!" he could hear the concerned shout from Sam as his brother knelt beside him but all he could see in his line of vision was Uriel's feet as he walked away.

"Hey," Sam whispered worriedly.

"I'm fine," Dean mumbled. "The knife didn't go in that deep, nothing we can't fix."

Sam slowly pulled the blade from his back and inspected the wound carefully. Finally assured that it was not serious, he turned to look at his brother straight in the eye.

"Dean, Uriel didn't heal himself. And they actually _walked,_ instead of teleporting out of here."

"I know, I saw it too when I punched Michael in the face. They didn't use any of their angel mojo. What the hell, Sam?"

"I don't know, Dean," Sam huffed in confusion. "How are they even alive? And what exactly do they want?"

"Beats me, but we're definitely screwed. Not only do we have to worry bout the Leviathans, and the demons trying to bust Lucifer out of the cage _again, _now we can just add 'return of the feathery dicks' onto our constantly increasing list of problems."

Castiel's heart was pounding in fear as he stared straight into the eyes of a demon.

"Well, what do we have here?" the demon's lips stretched into a lecherous smile.

The other two demons holding his arms in a tight grip chuckled loudly in glee.

"Cas-tiel. The rogue angel, former God," the demon scoffed. "I've heard all about you. I'm surprised you're even alive. Well, not for long anyway. My name is Adriel, and meet Bael and Cresil. I find it only fair that you know our names before you are dead."

Castiel met the demon's gaze defiantly. "I doubt you will be able to kill an angel of the Lord."

Adriel laughed in amusement. Bringing a dagger close to Castiel's neck he whispered in his ear. "You're right; an angel is absolutely out of our league. But then again, you're not an angel anymore are you?"

Castiel felt the cold edge of the blade at the back of his neck and a sharp sting to accompany the feeling.

"Hey, asshole!"

The four of them turned around and saw Lucifer standing just a few feet away. Adriel's eyes lit up in joy.

"The ritual, it must have been more powerful than we thought, it was enough to bring the Morning Star back!"

Lucifer rolled his eyes. "Yeah sure, baby sacrifices, powerful enough to ensure the return of the Devil himself," he shook his head. "I guess they make any idiot out there a demon now."

Without wasting any time, Lucifer advanced towards Bael and Cresil, pulling Castiel away from their grip. Adriel sneered at Castiel, "The devil's gonna have his way with you now, I wonder how loud you can scream."

The smirk on his face dropped immediately when he saw Lucifer grab a pistol out from his pocket and aim the gun at Cresil's head. CResil's eyes widened before the bullet lodged into his forehead. He hissed in pain, "Salt!"

Bael made a lunge towards Castiel who reacted swiftly, slashing his forearm with a blade doused in holy water.

"What is going on?" Adriel demanded, eyeing Lucifer with suspicion.

Lucifer did not reply but simply shot rounds upon rounds of salt at the three of them. Bael and Cresil were wounded seriously and could barely keep themselves upright. Adriel, on the other hand was a much smarter demon and had managed to dodge every single bullet that came his way. He threw himself to the ground to protect himself as Lucifer persisted. The sound of shots stopped for a minute as he fumbled to reload his gun. That was all the time that Adriel needed. In a flash, he crawled behind a gravestone and fished out a gun from his back pocket. Springing up suddenly from his hiding place, he aimed and pressed the trigger.

"Move!" Lucifer yelled.

Castiel was sure that his grace had been suddenly returned to him; why else would time suddenly seem to slow down? He could see the single bullet hurtling towards him. And yet, he could barely gather his senses to move away. Castiel closed his eyes, bracing for the painful impact that he was certain would be the end of him.

Castiel gasped out loud in pain as he was thrown backwards with such force. He had to blink a few times to clear the stars in his vision and stop the loud ringing in his head. It was only then did he realize that the bullet had not found its target and that the entire length of his body was covered with a heavy load.

And the heavy load was groaning.

"Lucifer?" Castiel asked incredulously.

"Who else?" Lucifer moaned sarcastically as he pushed himself off of Castiel. He was clutching the right side of his chest as he took in long shaky breaths of air.

"You're hurt," Castiel observed after taking a closer look at his brother, concern evident in his furrowing of eyebrows.

"Piece of advice, when you're being shot at, you dodge," his brother rolled his eyes as he struggled to lift himself off the ground.

Castiel put his arm around the upper torso of his body and heaved him up. Both the angels looked up to find that the other three demons had regrouped and were standing not too far away. Adriel squinted his eyes as he took in the sight of Lucifer. "That's not our master!" he growled, angrily pointing towards Lucifer's would which was not healing.

"Tree…" Lucifer whispered, jerking hiss head towards the big oak tree that took center stage on the opposite side of the cemetery.

Castiel nodded his understanding and both of them made a beeline towards it, Castiel half-dragging his brother. All the while, they had to carefully dodge the bullets that were rapidly being fired at them. Castiel was wheezing by the time they reached the tree and his arms felt sore after carrying Lucifer the whole distance. He was certain that he had never ran any faster in his life and yet, to his disappointment, the demons were only a few feet behind them.

"What's wrong with your wings, angelboy?" Adriel mocked as the two others chuckled humorlessly behind him.

Castiel and Lucifer made one last final jump to their extreme left, landing on the ground in a tangle of limbs. As expected, the demons tried to follow after them but were stopped by an invisible barrier.

"What the…" Understanding dawned upon his face, along with a surge of anger as he looked down on the ground. Under the shade of the tree and in the darkness of the night, the demon traps that Lucifer and Castiel had painstakingly marked with black spray paint were hidden well.

Lucifer grinned widely as the incantation rolled off his tongue easily. With a howl of anger, blck smoke erruped from the three men and the bodies slumped down onto the ground.

"I guess a job well done is in order," Lucifer smiled in triumph. "And we even did it before midnight, that gives us enough time to get back before the others return home."

Castiel's small answering small lasted only for a while before it changed to an expression of horror as Lucifer eyes drifted close and he fell back upon the grass, unconscious.

"Brother!"

**A/N: Just to answer a question to a few of my reviewers, yes, Dean ****_will _****come to know about Cas pretty ****_SOON! _****Just not on this chapter yet SO STAY TUNED! ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Here ya go! Sorry if there seemed to be a lot of mistakes towards the end 'cause I was rushing to complete this. If you find any mistakes or whatever, feel free to drop a review and I'll try to correct as soon as possible. Anywayss, as usual, i hope you enjoy this chapter and REVIEW! :)**

Castiel was breathing harshly, as was his brother who was leaning heavily towards him. With a grunt, they staggered towards the couch and he gently dropped Lucifer onto the soft cushions. Both of them were exhausted. The hunt had taken a lot from them (after all, they were now mere mortals) and what little energy they had left was drained out if them as they made their way back home on their feet, Castiel dragging and half-carrying his unconscious brother the whole way.

Castiel went to the kitchen to get some wet towels. He also got a small kitchen knife and placed it in boiling water. When he was certain that the knife was as sterilized as he could get it to be, he made his way back to the couch. It was relief that Lucifer was not awake because Castiel was sure that the pain would have been unbearable if he was conscious. Lifting his brother so that he could take a closer look at the wound, Castiel winced in sympathy. There was a lot of blooding, spreading a crimson red through his shirt. Peeling off the clothes slowly,he reached for the towels and dabbed gently at the blood soaked skin. Soon, the white towels were stained pink and most of the blood had been wiped off. Castiel gave a sigh of relief, the wound was not too serious and the bullet had not gone in that deep. Grabbing the knife, he slowly dug the blade in, twisting and turning to lodge out the bullet. It took a few tries and each time he pressed deeper, Lucifer gave a groan of pain and Castiel felt his guilt take root and grow.

It was all his fault, Lucifer was injured because of him. If only he had reacted fast enough, had moved out of the way in time, then Lucifer would not have gotten shot at while trying to save him. Balthazar was right, he was not ready for a battle and his foolishness had gotten his brother hurt. A wave of guilt washed over him and Castiel was so overwhelmed by his thoughts that he had failed to notice that his vessel was emitting a faint glow on the darkness of his room.

"Castiel!" the sharp cry jerked him out of his deep thoughts. He turned worriedly to his brother, only to find Lucifer staring at him, eyes wide in shock.

"What are you doing?" he gasped.

Castiel followed his line of sight and gave a gasp of his own. His hands were placed over the wound on Lucifer's chest and they were burning brightly. In front if his eyes, the wound began to heal itself, nerves and tissue growing back together until the skin that formed looked unbroken and new.

" How did you do that?" Lucifer demanded, voice laced with curiosity.

"I do not know, I was simply-" Castiel suddenly gave a yelp.

He felt a stinging pain growing in the left side of his chest which turned to a burning agony that just kept growing. His vision was turning white as the pain overtook him. Grasping the hem of his shirt, he rolled it up and saw a dark bruise forming on his chest, an the exact place where Lucifer was shot. The blood vessels around the bruise was a sickly blue, a shocking contrast to his pale skin.

"Are you okay?" Lucifer asked in concern as he looked at the bruise.

Castiel nodded shakily. "It hurts terribly but I will be fine."

He could see the unasked questions forming on his brother's lips and was glad for the sudden distraction as their front door slammed open.

"A waste of time..."

"Didn't even turn up..."

"I knew going on the hunt was foolish..."

Castiel could hear the annoyed grumbles of his brothers from the hallway and a few minutes later, they had crowded into the living room. By then, he had pulled his shirt back on and Lucifer had quickly scrambled to hide the towels and knife under the couch.

Michael's eyes widened in concern as he took in the sight of Lucifer's blood soaked shirt.

"What happened?" he exclaimed, gesturing towards it. "All that blood, are you hurt?"

Lucifer shook his head and immediately blurted out, "It's not my blood!"

Michael's gaze then fell questioningly on Castiel who followed his brother's lead and shook his head.

"Alright, what the hell is going on?" Balthazar demanded.

"It's just demon blood," Castiel lied.

At Gabriel's raised eyebrows, Lucifer launched into a recount of the entire night, omitting the part where he got shot.

Michael looked horrified at the fact that Castiel and Lucifer had gone on such a dangerous mission on their own while Gabriel whistled and Balthazar patted Castiel on the back. "Wow, Cassie! You sure showed those demons that you're one hell of a badass."

"They don't need to know we screwed up a bit." Lucifer whispered in a voice low enough only for Castiel to hear.

"You mean how I 'screwed' up" Casteil whispered back, staring guiltily at his lap.

Lucifer rolled his eyes and addressed his brothers. "I take it your night wasn't so eventful?"

"Oh it was eventful alright, but not the way we wanted it to be." Gabriel replied in an annoyed voice.

"What happened?"

"Met the Winchesters," Raphael replied curtly.

Castiel looked up and his ears perked. The meeting couldn't have gone well, the Winchesters hated the angels and expressed their opinions on them openly with their fists.

"Ah, so you met my Sammy!" Lucifer smiled. "How is he?"

"He is not your Sam," Castiel snapped.

Lucifer raised an eyebrow at him, "You mean like how he's not your Dean?"

Castiel's ears burned up as he looked down. "Not anymore," he muttered to himself, too soft for anyone else's ears.

"Dean and Uriel were really excited to see other, they punched, kicked screamed..." Gabriel said

Castiel's brows furrowed in concern. " Is Dean alright?"

Uriel scoffed, "I hope not. I gave him quite a blow, he sank down to his knees, could hardly stand on his own legs."

Michael frowned at his brother. "You should not have done that."

Uriel ignored him and smiled proudly as Zachariah patted him on his back.

Much more was being said and there was talk about going out somewhere special to have breakfast the next morning but Castiel wasn't really paying attention. His thoughts were drifting off to Dean, concern clouding his mind. An idea was forming in his head and he mulled over it.

* * *

Later in the night, when everyone had retired for the night and gone to bed, Castiel slipped out of his room silently. Feet padding softly on the carpet, he left through the back door without any noise. Turning back to make sure that know one had seen him, Castiel quietly walked. His chest was still hurting quite badly but that wasn't his primary concern.

Trudging in the dark, Castiel arrived at Bobby's salvage yard. From a distance, he could make out the new angel proofing sigils that decorated the fence, gates and front door. For a moment, Castiel was worried that he would not be able to pass. However, it seemed that his weakened grace an mortal body allowed him entry and for once, Castiel was glad about it.

Once inside, he found Dean sleeping on the couch and Sam asleep at the table. As he got got closer, Castiel could see how badly the meeting with his brothers had gone. Dean's nose was a bloody mess, stuffed with tissues that were soaked in red. The bridge of his nose was bent at an odd angle and was bruised a dark blue. But that wasn't the worst if it. Castiel's heart clenched painfully at the sight of his hunter, wrapped in white bandages. He could tell that Dean had injured his back and judging by the amount of blood that drenched his dressing, Castiel could only assume that it had hurt tremendously. He took a tentative step towards and sank to the ground so that he was at eye level with the sleeping hunter. Castiel knew that he had promised himself that he would never come back, he would spare the Winchesters the pain of looking into the eyes of the one who betrayed them all. But Castiel could not simply just stay away. They were after all Sam and Dean, the two people who had stood by him when his whole garrison turned him away. They were the family that he had fought for and now that there was even the slightest chance that he could help them out at least a little bit, he was not going to turn it down.

Castiel's fingers shook as he reached towards Dean. Using the his fingertips, he ghosted over Dean's cheeks an finally rested on his nose. Remembering what he had done back on the mansion, Castiel mimicked the feelings that had ran through his mind. Concern, guilt, fear, the overwhelming sense if helplessness and the burning desire to make everything alright. Castiel's eyes closed shut tightly in concentration and within a few moments, even behind closed eyelids he could sense his body light up. In fascination, he watched as the bruises faded away and healed back. This time, the pain that Castiel felt was not unexpected. Instead, his eyes watered but he did not let a single sound escape his lips. Seating himself beside Dean on the couch, he then placed his hands slowly on his back. He did the same as he had done before and clench his fingers through the pain. Finally, the job was done and Castiel felt a small burden lift off his shoulders. It wasn't much, but he would take up any opportunity to help his friends.

With a very stiff back, Castiel turned to leave. However, he stopped in mid step as he heard a small whimper in the darkness of the room. Thinking that it was Dean, Castiel quickly turned around. However, it was the other Winchester. Sam was stirring restlessly in his sleep, cowering against something that could only be his hallucinations. At first glance, Castiel had though that his brothers had also hurt Sam but when he looked closer, Sam didn't look physically injured. Just tired, dark circles forming around his eyes.

It was probably not one of the wisest thing he had done and thinking back, he should have though over it but the instinct of protecting a friend took over Castiel and the next thing he knew, he was standing beside Sam, hands on both sides of his head.

"I should never have broken your wall, Sam." he muttered bitterly at himself. "I know you can't hear me, but I am truly sorry I did this to you."

Fingers grazed Sam's forehead and within a second, Castiel doubled over in pain. His head felt as though it was going to split open and images kept flashing through his head. Pictures of fire and pain overwhelmed his vision. The room felt suddenly too hot and the air too thick to breath. He felt as though he was back in hell except it was worse. This was in his head and he couldn't escape from it. Hands grabbing his hair, Castiel accidentally let a shout of pain escape him.

Summoning the remaining of his grace once more, Castiel covered himself from the eyes of any ordinary human and ran through the door and out of the house. Whether he was running to avoid being caught or running away from the hallucinations Castiel wasn't sure, he just knew he had to get away from there.

* * *

"Dude what the hell happened!"

Dean woke up with a start. Sam was pointing incredulously at his face.

"What? Did it get worse? Do I look horrible?" Dean asked, fingers flying towards his face.

It was then that he realized that something was wrong. For one, his back wasn't hurting at all, even when he had moved his arm wildly when he had woken up. Neither did his nose twinge in agony as he gingerly touched it.

"Look!" Sam shoved a small mirror towards him. He stared at his reflection. His nose had completely healed, without the bruises. In fact, it looked as though it had never been broken on the first place.

"Hang on," Dean ripped out the white bandages that covered his back. He looked over his shoulder and sure enough, his suspicions were confirmed. His back was smooth, without even the hint of a scar where he had been stabbed at.

"What the hell man? What sort of mojo did you do?" San accused.

"I didn't do anything!" protested Dean.

Sam shook his head. "Well whatever it was or whoever did it, it's really powerful."

Dean nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I don't even have a scar!"

"That's not what I meant." Sam looked at his brother meaningfully. "My hallucinations are gone too."

Dean rolled his eyes. "That's 'cause you're awake, doofus."

"Dean, you don't understand! My hallucinations were always with me, especially while I was conscious. I couldn't sleep for more than two hours and Lucifer would be yelling in my head to get up. He's haunting me wherever I go, even in my sleep. Except, except for last night. I actually had a decent six hours of sleep and when I woke up, he was gone."

Deans eyes widened. "But that-that's a good thing right?"

"No," Sam sighed in frustration. "Nothing ever really good happens to us without a price. And now with the angels suddenly back in the picture, I'm really worried."

"Yeah man, I get it. I don't trust them and I'm pretty sure they're brewing something big." Dean looked up at his brother. "What do you think we should do?"

Sam looked uncertain and hesitated a bit. "I was thinking that maybe we should.. get a hold of Crowley?"

Dean stood up abruptly. "What?! No way man! Are you crazy?" Dean couldn't believe his ears. What was his brother thinking? There was no way they were going to repeat the mistake of getting the help of that demon, not after what happened the last time.

"C'mon Dean! He's the only person who'd know what's going on. And if the angels are involved, I'm pretty sure he'd want our help too!"

Dean wanted to shake his head, disagree to the absurd and stupid idea, but he didn't. They were running out of leads, be it on the Leviathans or the angels and they really needed all the help they could get.

That was the reasoning he gave himself as Sam quickly gathered the ingredients needed to summon the demon. Dean helped by scraping of some of the demon warding sigils off the walls. With the flick of a match, they looked around the room, eyes searching.

"Hello boys, looking as charming as ever, I see."

Both boys turned around, weapons raised.

"I was thinking of dropping by," Crowley said.

Dean took a threatening step forward. "What do you know about the angels?" he growled.

For once, Crowley looked confused. " I though you could enlighten me about that actually."

"So you're telling me you know nothing about why they returned? Or how my hallucinations have suddenly disappeared?"

Crowley strolled towards them. "Why they returned, I have no idea, but I plan on finding out. As for you and your brother's magical recovery, I'm surprised that you boys haven't figured it out yet. Then again, intelligence wasn't your greatest asset, was it?"

Sam narrowed his eyes. "If you know something, just spit it out already."

Crowley sighed in exasperation. "Who else would go all Florence Nightingale on you but your pet angel?"

"What the hell do you mean?" Dean asked, confused.

"I'm talking about dear ol' Castiel, coming back from the dead." Crowley smirked.

Dean's heart pounded loudly and he could feel all the blood rush through his veins. _No, it can't be..._

__"No," he shook his head not believing a word.

"I knew about the angels long before you and your brother did. I've been looking for that punk for a long time now. Once I get my hands on him, he is minced meat." Crowley smiled maniacally with a cruel glint in his eyes.

"Shut up, you're lying" Dean all but growled, fingers gripping the knife in his hands tightly.

"If you don't believe me, ask your brother," Crowley shrugged. "Heard that Castiel came here first and was chased away by Sam."

Dean felt as though he was going to going to throw up. He turned and glared at his brother. "Is that true?" He spat viciously at Sam.

Sam's heart was pounding loudly in his ears. His tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth and his mind raced with a million different possible lies. But faced with the accusing glare of his brother, he could only nod as he swallowed down thickly on the lump forming in his throat.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Yes, I realize that my updates are getting shorter and slower. I apologize for that! I'm a little busy working on another fic but I promise I'll write more next time!**

** So, despite it being really short, hope you ENJOY this chapter and remember to REVIEW! :)**

* * *

Castiel had somehow stumbled his way back into the mansion late at night. The hallucination of Lucifer was trailing closely behind him and statyed by him the entire night. Castiel could not even sleep for a minute with the fake Lucifer talking nonstop. He really didn't know who was more annoying, the real one or the Hallucination.

However things became worse when morning came. The Hallucination was talking about things that Castiel would rather not relive. As he got more upset, the taunts became harsher.

"Look at you, cowering like the useless mutt you are. The angels tried to kill you, the humans hate you and even the God that you worship has left you. Do you really think you're needed?" the Hallucination spat in his face.

Castiel brought his hands to his ears, trying in vain to block those words out. Tears streamed down his face.

The Hallucination brought his face closer and sneered, "In fact, you're probably better off dead."

Castiel shivered at those words and his eyes grew wide in horror. The Hallucination was inches away from him and without a warning, his fingers were thrust into the angel's chest. Pain exploded in him and before his eyes, Castiel saw his still beating heart pound through each beat in the hands of the Hallucination. Bile made his way up Castiel's throat and his clothes were sticking to his sweat soaked skin.

"Castiel!"

Castiel startled and looked around in fear. Terror gripped him as Lucifer leaned against the doorframe.

_No, not another hallucination!_ Castiel wasn't sure he could take anymore. He felt as though he was going mad.

"Hey, you look dead."

The concern surprised Castiel. He looked closer at the Lucifer at his door and noticed something different. His skin was smooth, unlike that of the Hallucination's which was broken and tearing at places. Castiel gave a sigh of relief. This was Lucifer, his brother. He rearranged the expression on his face and forced a smile on his lips.

"I am fine," he assured his brother.

At that moment, Gabriel appeared at the door beside Lucifer. He looked at Castiel and did a double take, concern clouding his eyes. Castiel simply waved his hands dismissively.

"You're still not up yet," Gabriel stated impatiently. "Get your ass out of bed now. We're having breakfast soon and Michael is insisting on making it himself. He wants to celebrate last night so he's cooking your favorite dishes. Can you smell that? It's probably your favorite blueberry pancakes being burnt to crisp."

Gabriel turned to Lucifer and sneered, "Michael wasn't sure what you wanted so I told him you're probably love the skulls of virgins or something like that."

If look could kill, Gabriel would have been dead with the way that Lucifer was glaring at him.

Castiel could not stop but genuinely smile a little. Beside him, the Hallucination looked at the lump of thick muscles in his hands and smacked his lips. Castiel shook his head. No, he could do this. If he could differentiate his hallucinations from real life, he would be fine. He could ignore the Hallucination and all would be alright.

* * *

Sam nodded and in a blink of an eye, the wind was knocked out of him. Dean had his hold on the flaps of his collar, his face only inches away from Sam's. With a sudden burst of strength he was pushed backwards and slammed against the wall behind him. Sam was definitely bigger than his brother and would have had no trouble fighting back and gaining control but the fierce anger flashing in those green eyes made his heart clench in fear. The grip on his throat grew tighter and his air supply was slowly cut off. Black dots started appearing in his vision.

"What the hell did you do?" Dean hissed in his face.

His brother let go of him and Sam's shoulders relaxed slightly. All of a sudden, Dean lashed out and Sam saw stars. There was a burst of pain as fist connected with face and warm blood was running down his nose.

"What were you thinking?!" Sam flinched as Dean roared at him.

"Dean-"

Crowley stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Well, as much as I'd like to spend more time with you boys, I've got places to be and this does seem like a family problem. I wouldn't want to interfere."

Crowley was about to leave but then he thought twice and added, "If you see dear old Castiel around, give me a ring would you? We still have old scores to settle."

With that, the demon was gone.

Dean turned furiously back at his brother. His chest was heaving as he took in huge breaths. "Didn't you even think to tell me that Cas was alive?"

Sam did. Every morning. He would look at his dejected brother, so tired from battle and would contemplate on telling him about their angel. But what use would it have been? Castiel wasn't their friend anymore. He didn't care about them and they would have been better off without him. He didn't want Dean to go through the pain of a betrayal all over again, he couldn't take that chance. No, Dean would be in better shape to fight the Leviathans if he wasn't too caught up with the angel.

"Dean, I did." Sam pleaded. "But I was just trying to protect you."

"It was_ Cas_ that needed protecting! You've seen the other angels, Cas's probably without his mojo too and we're his friends. We're supposed to be helping him!"

Sam stared at his brother incredulously. "Are you that stupid or have you forgotten that he was the dick who turned his back on us. We are _not_ his friends, Dean! We don't need to protect him, we need protection _from_ him. He's a monster and-"

Seconds before those words left his lips, Sam found himself sprawled onto the floor, head reeling from the punch. His eyes watered slightly at the pain. Dean was looming above him, his fists clenched and Sam was afraid that his brother would beat him up for good.

"He is not a monster," Dean denied harshly.

Sam couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Dean, are you listening to yourself? Castiel _lied_ to us and _stabbed_ us in the back!"

"Cas is not a monster." Dean repeated, raising his voice even higher. "Castiel was the one who busted me out of hell. He freaking rebelled against his asshole brothers and got himself killed twice just for us. Hell, he was an angel but he turned on his God just to help us! Castiel is nowhere near being a monster."

Sam opened his mouth to argue back. Sure Castiel had helped them out during the apocalypse, but he had also taken sides with the king of hell, went behind their backs and took down the wall in his head.

Before Sam could utter a word though, Dean squatted down in front of him, eyes leveled with his. He met his gaze steadily and surprised Sam with how softly he spoke.

"Because if he was, you know who else would be one? The one who lied to me too, went behind my back, ignored my warnings, took sides with a demon, drank her blood and chose her over his own brother. The one who caused the rise of Lucifer and started the apocalypse. Tell me Sam, how are you any different from Cas?"

Dean abruptly stoped and walked towards the door coolly. Looking back over his shoulder, he said, "I'm getting Cas back. You can help me if you want. If you don't, I'm fine working on my own."

With that, Sam was left alone, blood smeared over his face and tears threatening to take over. His throat was burning with guilt. He ran his fingers through his hair.

_How are you any different from Cas?  
_  
Oh god, Dean was right. He was being such a hypocrite. If there was anyone who knew what Castiel was going through, it should have been Sam.

_How are you any different from Cas?  
_  
Sam knew all about feeling that desperate need to save the world, to do whatever it took to stop whoever that threatened the safety of humanity. He knew how blinding the heavy burden of responsibility was of having the fate of the world in your hands.

_Because if he was, you know who else would be one too?_

How are you any different from Cas?  
  
If Sam could move past his mistakes and find forgiveness, Castiel should too. After all, he too was misguided, he only did what he thought was right and in his own skewed up view of right and wrong, whatever Castiel did, it made sense to himself. Guilt was bubbling and Sam realized in horror what he had done. He had turned a friend away and refused to aid him. Castiel was now vulnerable and powerless and concern overtook Sam. Where could the angel be and it frightened him to think about the state that he had left Castiel in.

With regret and guilt clawing out his chest, Sam followed his brother upstairs, determined to get his friend back.

After all, how was he any different from Cas?


End file.
